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It’s finally potato salad season! Thank goodness. Summertime makes me think of being home at my mom’s house with big containers of potato salad and pasta salad in the fridge, ready to be devoured by all of us kids (and grandkids) running through her house. It’s such a nostalgic food for me. I go back and forth between mayo and no mayo versions all summer, but I love them both. Last week I made this version with lots of fresh dill and apple cider vinegar. It’s a perfect side that goes with everything!

Start by boiling the potatoes. You want them to be fork tender but not too soft otherwise they’ll crumble when you mix in the other ingredients. Once cooked through, add to a large bowl and toss in the rest of the ingredients, mixing well to coat the potatoes. I like to let mine sit for about 10 minutes to allow the potatoes to absorb the flavors, then I give it a taste and adjust as needed. Easiest potato salad ever!

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Every weekend I dream of the perfect breakfast burrito. I used to go and get one at this place near my apartment, until one day they closed and I was left heartbroken and starving. So, I started to make my own! The best thing about a breakfast burrito is that all you really need are the eggs, then you can toss in whatever else you have on hand. This one I made with cheesy scrambled eggs, potatoes, a mixture of sauteed kale with green onions and shallots, and salami that I fried in a pan until crispy. It was perfection on a little Sunday morning…

Start by boiling the potatoes until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Don’t overcook them or they’ll fall apart in the pan! Drain and add to a pan with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cook until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same pan add the shallots, kale, and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes, then set aside. Again in the same pan (because less dishes, yay!) add the salami and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Also set that aside. Turn down the heat. Scramble the eggs and pour into the pan, cooking slow and moving the eggs around often with a rubber spatula. When they are almost cooked, tossed in the cheese and the green onions then turn off the heat. Mix together while the eggs finish cooking. The reason a lot of people overcook their eggs is because they keep the heat up too high and all the way through to the end. The trick is to cook nice and slow over low heat, and when the eggs looks basically done, turn off the heat. They continue cooking on the way to your plate and will be perfect when you eat them! Okay back to the burrito… to assemble, scoops all the ingredients onto your tortilla with some room around the edges so that you can actually fold it up. Fold in the sides then start rolling away from you. Slice in half and inhale entire burrito….

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One of my favorite food blogs is Lady and Pups – her recipes always look so amazing! I finally decided to make one of her recipes and set aside my Sunday night to do so. It look a few hours because the pork belly needs to cook in the oven for most of the time, but the final result was insanely delicious and one of my favorite things I think I’ve ever made. Some of the original ingredients I couldn’t find at my regular grocery store, but I just used some alternative items that I felt would do the trick. If you find yourself with a down day coming up, make this ramen! You won’t regret it.

Start by making the pork belly, as this will need some time to cook in the oven. Preheat the oven to 330 degrees. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for about 20 mins until softened. In a heavy bottomed oven-safe pot, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat for a minute or so, then add the pork belly and sear for a few minutes on each side until browned. Remove the pork from the pot and add the garlic cloves, sauteing them until golden, about 3 minutes. Return the pork belly to the pot, then add the mushrooms with their soaking water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and salt and pepper. Put the lid on and place in the oven for 2 hours, turning the pork every 30 mins. When finished, remove from the oven and let cook for a few minutes, then wrap the pork in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you’re ready to use. This will make it easier to cut. Set the shiitake mushrooms aside, and reserve the braised garlic and liquids from the pot.

While the pork is in the oven for those 2 hours, you can get to work on the other items. To make the garlic powder, heat some canola oil over medium heat, then add the minced garlic. Cook it until it is golden brown and almost crisp. Remove by pouring through a sieve, and keeping the garlic oil for later. Spread the cooked garlic on a paper towel to allow it to drain and dry, for one hour. If the paper towel gets too damn, swap it for a new one half way through. In a stone-mortar, pound the dried garlic together with the white pepper and sea salt until coarsely ground.

Now for the garlic oil. I know, SO much garlic in this recipe, but it’s worth the garlic breath trust me!! In a small saucepan, heat the reserved garlic oil (from the above step) along with the toasted sesame oil, chili flakes, and coriander. I couldn’t find togarashi powder or black sesame seeds at my grocery store, so I just skipped those ingredients from the original recipe.

Lastly, time to make the stock. In a blender, blend together the reserved garlic and liquid from the pork belly pot, along with the (warmed) chicken stock, and peeled shallot. Pour through a sieve into a pot, and discard the solids. Add the unflavoured/unsweetened soy milk, fish sauce (the original recipe used bonito dashi granules but I couldn’t find these so used my fish sauce instead) and 1/2 tsp of salt. Simmer for 5 min.

Boil the ramen noodles per the package instruction. Drain and divide into your two bowls and pour the broth over top. Now for the toppings! Add the finely sliced pork belly, the shiitake mushroom, finely diced scallions, dried nori/seaweed, and the soft boiled eggs. To make a perfect soft boiled egg, just boil the water, add the eggs, and cook for 6 minutes (no longer!) then remove and submerge in a bowl of very cold water to stop the cooking process. Gently peel. I like to slice mine in half when they’re in the bowl to avoid a mess.

Spoon some of the fried garlic powder and garlic oil over on top, and serve immediately. ENJOY!

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What’s great about pasta, is that the options are endless, and it’s usually a fairly quick meal to make. I love going into my fridge and seeing what I can come up with during the weekday using whatever I have on hand. This pasta in particular I made with eggplant, marinated artichokes, spinach, and some fire roasted crushed tomatoes. Quick, easy, and delicious!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the eggplant slices and artichokes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the eggplant is softened through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, cut both the eggplant and artichokes into smaller chunks.

In a medium pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil and cook until softened – about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5-7 minutes then stir in the fresh spinach as well as the cooked eggplant and artichokes.

Cook the pasta per the box instructions, and reserve some of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat all the noodles. Cook for 1-2 minutes, adding splashes of the pasta water as needed to keep the sauce smooth. Plate and top with Parmesan cheese!

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Basically anything that involves eggs and potatoes for breakfast is my jam. I make something almost every weekend involving those two items and never get sick of it. Throw some homemade hollandaise on there, and I’m in love. A rösti translates literally to “crisp and golden” and is basically made of just shredded potatoes that are cooked until – you guessed it – crisp and golden! Basically the same as a potato latke. I jazzed mine up by adding shallots, leeks, and kale. I think I ate this entire plate in record time, though I plan to beat that record the next time I eat it.

Start by thawing your frozen shredded potatoes by running them under the water for a minute. Squeeze out the water as best as you can, then set aside. Alternatively, you can use fresh potatoes but shredding them, rinsing them under water, then squeezing out the excess liquid… but I was feeling lazy. Anyway, add a little olive oil to a small pan and sauté the shallots, kale, and leeks until softened. In a bowl, toss together the kale/leek mixture along with the shredded potatoes, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Next mix in half an egg white and the flour to help bind the mixture. In the same pan you cooked the kale/leek in, heat some more olive oil over medium heat, then scoop the entire potato mixture into a ball and form into a flat pancake with your hands. Place in the pan and press down with your spatula to help flatten it more, while keeping the edges intact. Cook for about 5 minute, then flip it over and cook the other side for another 5 minutes. You want the outside to be golden and crispy.

While the potato cooks, make the hollandaise sauce. Fully melt the butter in the microwave. In a metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and lemon juice for about a minute – you’ll see it thickens a bit. Fill a pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil then turn off the heat. Place the metal bowl on top of the pot (making a double-boiler) and while whisking vigorously, slowly add in a little bit of the melted butter at a time. You really need to whisk fast to avoid the eggs scrambling. Once all the butter has been whisked in, remove from the double boiler and add a pinch of cayenne and black pepper. Taste and add more lemon if you’d like. Set aside until ready to use, but give it a little whisk here and there to avoid a film on the top. If it thickens to much while sitting, you can add a tiny tiny splash of warm water to loosen it.

To poach your egg, boil some water in a medium sized pot. Add about a teaspoon of apple cider or white vinegar (helps make them fluffy) then swirl the water with a spoon to create a whirlpool to drop the egg into (this will help the egg to keep its round shape.) Gently pour in the egg. Cook for about 30-60 seconds before removing with a slotted spoon. I usually lift them slightly out of the pot and gently poke the centers until it feels a little firm but runny in the center.

Top your potato rösti with your poached egg and hollandaise and get to eating!!

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I threw this together last night, and it ended up being one of my favorite meals I’ve made in a while! Chili paste can be intimidating if you’ve never cooked with it before, but it’s super good when tossed with roasted or sautéed veggies, etc. It can be strong and a bit spicy (which I love) but you can just start small and add more as you go. I love to eat it with rice to help balance out the stronger flavors a little. For this recipe I used cauliflower “rice” which is my new favorite staple item to have in my fridge. I topped it with a couple of my other favorite things, like radishes, seaweed, and a soft boiled egg. Happiness in a bowl!

Start by sautéing the eggplant and sugar snap peas over medium heat with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook until the eggplant is softened. I ended up adding a dash of water to the pan and put the lid on, to help steam it a little more. Once softened, add the gochujang paste and toss until evenly coated.

For the cauliflower “rice,” you can either buy this already made (Whole Foods has fresh and frozen options) or you can make it yourself by simply pulsing regular cauliflower florets in your food processor until it resembles a rice texture. Start by sautéing the shallot and kimchi together over medium heat with a tiny bit of olive oil, cooking about 1-2 minutes until softened. Add the cauliflower rice and some fresh pepper (I skipped the salt seeing the kimchi is a little salty) and cook about 5-7 more minutes until the cauliflower is cooked through.

Lastly, cook your egg! To make a soft boiled egg (whites cooked with the yolk a little) boil a pot of water, gently add the egg, and let it cook for 7 minutes. Remove and run under cold water. Gently crack the egg and peel the shell.

To assemble your amazing dinner, place the cauliflower rice in a bowl, then arrange the eggplant, sliced radishes, and seaweed on top. Add the egg and slice it down the center. Top with a sprinkle of the chili flakes. ENJOY!

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PIZZZAAA! My favorite go-to meal to make at home in a pinch, and definitely one of my favorite foods to eat in general. I like to make a large batch of pizza dough then separate into a couple of balls to have in freezer. That way I have homemade dough on demand. Alternatively, most local pizza shops will sell you a ball of dough for a couple bucks if you don’t have time to make your own, but want the fresh stuff! This pizza I made with some common items I always have in my fridge – fresh spinach, sausages, and ricotta. I like to make the crust really thin so that the toppings can do their thang and shine…

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. That might sound higher than the usual 350 you cook things at, but you want the oven to be HOT when cooking a pizza so the magic can happen. If you’re using a pizza stone, place it in the oven now while it heats. If you’re not using a pizza stone, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small pan, break up the sausage into smaller chunks with a wooden spoon, and cook thoroughly. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Set aside. In the same pan, sauté the spinach until wilted.

Flour a clean flat surface, and roll out the dough. I have trouble transferring the dough to the pizza stone once I add all the toppings, so I cheat a little and add the dough to my pizza stone first then quickly add the toppings following that. When you remove the pizza stone from the oven it’ll be VERY hot, so be careful, and don’t put it on any surfaces that will be affected by the high heat. I usually place mine on top of my gas stove or on a trivet. If you are not using a pizza stone, then place your rolled out dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and add the toppings from there. Start with spreading the tomato sauce, leaving a 1 inch boarder around the edges. Add the crumbled sausage, spinach, green onion, and dollops of ricotta cheese. Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the toppings are bubbling. Let cool a few minutes before digging in! I love to top my pizza with Mike’s Hot Honey… it’s amazing and I recommend it on everything!!

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I’ve been so busy lately and haven’t really been able to post anything! I am off to Chile next week for two weeks, but when I get back I plan to jump back in and start cooking up a storm again!

I made these stuffed poblano peppers recently and absolutely loved them. I bought the peppers knowing I wanted to make something with them, then sort of came up with this recipe after seeing what I had in the fridge that night. Sometimes the best recipes come out of already existing ingredients around the kitchen. I charred the peppers over my gas stove, then stuffed them with a spicy cauliflower “rice” and chicken mixture. And cheese of course, because what would any meal be without cheese? This is an easy recipe that I will definitely be making again!

Start by charring the peppers. Cut the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds. I cooked mine over the gas stove, turning occasionally until each side have bits of char on them. Set aside to cool. I sliced one side part way open to make it easier to fill the peppers.

Next, salt and pepper the chicken well, then sauté in a little olive oil until cooked thoroughly. Let cool, then shred the chicken. I like to do this with two forks – one holding the chicken in place and the other to shred. Set aside.

In the same skillet, sauté the garlic and shallot together until translucent. Add the green onion and mushrooms and cook for another minute or so. Add the cauliflower, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. Lastly, add the diced tomatoes and the shredded chicken, and simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Mix in the goat cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Stuff each pepper with the mixture, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown and the peppers are softened. Remove from oven and add some additional Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

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Another recipe I have never made before… Swedish meatballs! Super tasty and fairly easy to make. I saw some recipes that used cooked potato mixed into the meat, which I thought was interesting, so I tried it and thought it was a nice addition. The sauce is my favorite part, because you can smother everything with it… I’m a big fan of anything that involves a sauce like that. Originally I was going to make some mashed potatoes for the side, but decided parsnip mash would be a great alternative. The sweetness of the parsnips with the meatballs and sauce was perfect. I will definitely be making this again!

Bring a little saucepan of water to a boil, and cook the potato until fork tender. I chopped mine into large chunks so it would cook faster. Let cool slightly then chop well into tiny pieces. In a heavy bottomed skillet, saute the garlic and shallot in some olive oil until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the potato and sauteed garlic/onion to a large bowl with the ground beef, bread crumbs, cardamom, all-spice, salt, pepper, and egg. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a plate.

In a large skillet, add a tablespoon of butter and let melt over medium heat, swirling it around the pan. Add half of the meatballs and cook for about 7-10 minutes, or until cooked though. Keep in mind that they’ll continue to cook a little when you remove them from the pan. No one likes over-cooked meatballs! Remove and place on a plate, covering them with aluminum foil to keep them warm. Repeat with another tablespoon of butter into the pan with the rest of the meatballs.

While the second batch of meatballs is cooking, get started on your sauce. Using the same pan you cooked the garlic/shallots in, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, then slowly whisk in the beef broth to create a roux. Lastly, add the cream and sherry vinegar, then salt and pepper to taste. Let bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes. At this point, you can either add the meatballs right to the sauce to coat them all, or you can plate and pour the sauce over top. Whichever you prefer!

I made myself some parsnip mash to eat with the meatballs, if you’d like to make this as well just peel and chop the parsnips (3 large is enough for 2 people) then boil them until fork tender. Add a splash of half and half, a pad of butter, salt and pepper, then mash until smooth. Alternatively, you can throw the parsnips/cream/butter/salt/pepper into the food processor to make them extra smooth!

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Risotto! It is so easy to make, and pretty much fail proof. It is one of my go-to meals when I have a lot of veggies on hand and want something fairly quick and easy to make after a long day at work. This week I used a mixture of kale, shallots, leeks, lemon, and Parmesan cheese – a little army of magical flavors. If you haven’t tried making risotto before, I recommend it!

Start by bringing the chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Keep on low.

In a heavy saucepan, cook the garlic and shallot in some olive oil for a minute, then add the leeks and cook together until everything is softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and stir for another 1-2 minutes to toast the rice a little. Next add the 1/2 cup of water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the red pepper flakes. Cook and mix until liquid is absorbed. Now, start adding the chicken stock… you’ll want to add 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock at a time, cooking until liquid is completely absorbed before adding your next 1/2 cup of stock. Repeat this until all the stock us used. It will take about 15 minutes or so. You want to be stirring constantly to move the rice around and help it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The rice will be soft but will still have a little firmness to it when finished. When the rice is about done, toss in the kale and parsley, then salt and pepper to taste. At the very end, fold in the Parmesan cheese.

Risotto is a great side and goes with almost anything. I eat it as my main meal a lot too, and often top it with a poached egg.